


Starry Starry Night

by moonrunes



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Stars n Stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:03:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5465834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonrunes/pseuds/moonrunes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short one-shot for Gingehfish!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starry Starry Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starlightwalking](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/gifts).



Kili sighed as he packed up the equipment. It had been a long day at the observatory, with lots of school groups of little kids, looking up with wide eyes at the ceiling painted with constellations. He was not allowed in the room with the largest telescope yet, but he had taken them out to the balcony with the smaller telescopes. Even snuck a peak as well when he could.

He trudged across the wide, open room, head down, feeling the brush of his hair on the back of his neck, when he walked directly into someone.

“Ack!” Kili made the most ungainly nose as he stumbled backwards instinctively, and the other person stepped to the side quickly with an “Oh! I’m sorry!”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Kill looked up at the stranger. And up.

He had to crane his neck to see her face, freckled and framed by brilliant red hair. Green eyes, freckles (as many as the stars he looked at every night) and a slightly worried smile.

Crap.

“Are you sure?” Kili felt his face burn as he tightened his grip on the telescopes in his arms. “Uh, yeah, um, I’m okay, thanks.”

He shifted his weight, and heard a telescope fall. “Frick. Sorry, can you…?”

“What? Oh, sure.” She bent and picked it up, glancing at him uncertainly. “D’you want me to carry some of those for you?”

“Would you mind?” Kili smiled, and with the smile, a rush of memories suddenly coming too. Almost all of them being of his mother teaching him manners. “Oh, my name’s Kili, by the way,” he stammered. “What - what’s yours?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m Tauriel.” She took a few lenses off the top of his stack and looked through them experimentally. “So, you work here?”

“Um, yeah.” Kili started walking towards the office where the lenses were kept and she followed him. “Usually just on the weekends and afternoons, though - they needed extra help today and I have today off from school so-“ He made an attempt to shrug, but in the process, a few more lenses fell.

Tauriel picked them up, studying them as keenly as she had the first few. “What’s working here like?”

“Uh, interesting.” He tried for a laugh and glanced up at her awkwardly, relieved when she smiled. “How so?”

“My job includes a lot of interaction with school groups and touristy things, so I sometimes get weird questions.” He lowered his voice and glanced around before whispering, “One kid once asked me if the moon was made of cheese.”

She laughed, a joyful, happy sound that filled the observatory. Kili grinned up at her, not even noticing the office until he bumped into the door frame. “Ow. Can you put these here?”

“Sure.” She placed the lenses carefully on the shelf, eyeing the complicated equipment with a slight air of wariness. Kili had a sudden thought. “Wait, are you the new employee?”

“Almost.” Tauriel shrugged. “They still have to review stuff, I think, but I hope so.”

“Awesome!” Kili grinned at her again. “Maybe you can help me with the children!”

A few months had passed since Tauriel had begun her work at the observatory. She and Kili quickly became good friends, handing out during lunch breaks and even traveling to coffee shops with a few other friends after the observatory closed. Kili’s crush remained under wraps to everyone except for his brother, Fili. 

“I dunno, though, she’s probably way out of my league - like, ULAS J0015+01 out of this world.”

Fili rolled his eyes. “Explain, please. Not all of us are astronomy nerds like you are.” He opened a new bag of Doritos and stared at his computer screen. “I don’t see what the big deal is, anyways. Just ask her to the new Star Wars movie or something.” 

Kili groaned. “But what if she says no? Or - or what if it turns out she already has a boyfriend? Or-”

“Worst comes to worst, she has a boyfriend,” remarked Fili. “And you’ll never know if you never try.”

Kili sighed. “Does Boromir have better advice?” he asked sarcasticly, peering over his brother’s shoulder at the lines of code scrawled across the screen. Fili shoved him. “I’m not acutally talking to him rightt now - I think he’s helping his little brother with something or other.”

“Oh.” Kili sat back. “Maybe I should text her.”

“Sounds good,” murmured Fili distractedly, crunching a chip loudly.

Kili whipped out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. He waited, staring at he wall, before his phone buzzed loudly, making Fili jump. 

Sure! What time?

Kili whooped, punching the air and falling back on the bed. “She said yes!”

“Great,” Fili snickered. “Now, did you want to take the car, or do you want Mum to drive you?”


End file.
